Kris Allen Crowned Season 8 American Idol

In a turn of events that stunned some people - but not all - it wasn't 27-year-old Adam Lambert that was crowned this year's American Idol. It was 23-year-old Kris Allen, the hometown boy who seemed to come out of nowhere every week as he was declared safe time and again. In contrast, Lambert, a born entertainer, seemed to almost have the competition in the bag, though he rarely acted like it.

Reasons for Allen's surprise win have been cropping up since the finale; many feel it was the Christian vote that pushed Allen over the top, with many of third-place runner-up's Danny Gokey flocking to the good Arkansas boy instead of the flamboyant boy from San Francisco. And on the night he was declared the winner, even Allen was shocked.

"Are you serious?" he asked host Ryan Seacrest. "Are you friggin’ serious?"

Asked how it felt to win, he said, "It feels good, but Adam deserves this."

Ignoring all this though are Allen and Lambert themselves - the pair became roommates and quick friends during their "Idol" journey. Allen even painted his thumbnail black and Lambert removed the polish from his matching thumb as a show of solidarity after rumors of a feud between them spread. In fact, they're such good friends that Allen is quick to point out how talented Lambert is, saying on Larry King,

Ryan Seacrest: I think the first thing you said [after being announced as the winner] was "Adam's great." Actually on the air, you were complimenting him at the moment you should be complimenting yourself.

Kris Allen: I think that's kind of how I am. Seriously, we're really good friends and he's amazing. He's been probably the most consistent performer this year, and just overall probably one of the best performers that's ever been on the "Idol" stage.

The pair were even spotted out having lunch together two days ago. The "Idol" tour is expected to begin soon.